James Harden: The Case for MVP

By ANTOINE WILEY ‘20

Things didn’t look too good for the Rockets at the start of the season. The team that last year held a stunning, league-best 65-17 record found itself 2nd to last in the Western Conference standings before star point guard Chris Paul suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. The Rockets have more than bounced back from their early season woes, largely thanks to the efforts of one man: James Harden. Harden is averaging a jaw-dropping 33.7 points per game on 44% from the field and 39% from three. If “The Beard” maintains this average for the rest of the season, it will be the highest scoring individual season since the 05’-06’ season when Kobe averaged 35.4 points a game. In the month of December, he dropped a 50 point triple-double and closed the month averaging 37 points per game. In addition to leading the league in scoring, Harden also has the highest Real Plus Minus (RPM) in the league at 7.74. In their last 11 games, the Houston Rockets scored 1274 points of which James Harden scored 452 and assisted 249, so he had an incredible 55% direct involvement in all points scored. Harden even managed to up his defensive game and now ranks in the top 5 for steals in the league with 2 steals per game. “The Beard” also became the first player in NBA history to produce at least 35 points and 5 assists in 10 consecutive games. These incredible numbers are behind the Rockets’ change in fortune; the Rockets have won 8 of their last 10 games, including victories over the Celtics, Thunder, and Warriors with four of their five All-Stars playing. In the game against the Warriors, Harden dropped a 44 point triple-double and hit the game-tying three to send it into overtime; Harden closed out the game with the game-winning three in overtime. However, Harden also leads the league in minutes per game, and as the season drags on, this long playing time may exact a toll on his body. The Rockets have a severe depth problem on their roster, which has been worsened by a spate of injuries. Rockets’ Head Coach Mike D’Antoni stated, "We've got everybody a couple of rungs up. We've got rookies playing as the sixth or seventh man. They should be ninth, tenth men. They would be OK every once in a while, but when you rely on them, it's tough." Hopefully, Harden will be able to catch some relief with the return of Chris Paul, who’s out due to a strained groin, and Eric Gordon, who’s out with a knee injury that’s likely to keep him sidelined for at least another week. With this impressive combination of statistical excellence and team success (the Rockets have gone from 15th in the West to 5th in a matter of weeks), Harden is likely to pick up his 2nd MVP award should he maintain his historic production on the offensive end.